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February 22, 2008

political craze: t-shirts, tv, and more


I guess I am part of the craze. What's up with politics? I wonder if the presidential race will be so popular like it is now in four years or even eight. In the 2004 election I voted for John Kerry. He lost, just in case you haven’t had internet, a newspaper, a TV, or have not talked to anyone in the past four years. I’m a democrat and I voted for Kerry. It seems to make sense. No, he was not my favorite candidate running for democrat. He won the democratic primary.
Four years ago seems like such a 180 compared to this election. Nobody knew anything about anything when it came to politics. (By anyone I mean the average person I would talk to on a daily basis.) I remember people asking me why I was voting for Kerry. I gave them a two fold answer. One, I’m a democrat and I hold the values of a democrat and what they strive for in politics. Second, I like Kerry’s stance on X, Y, and Z. I do not like Bush’s stance on X, Y, and Z. The other general comment I got was how can I vote for someone that is pro-choice. I never got to answer a question like this because it was more mud throwing then actual discussion. After I raised the issue of why I liked the candidate and not the other the person was usually thoroughly confused that I actually had a stance on a candidate and knew something about politics.
As a Christian I got blasted for voting democratic. It was like one in the same republican and Christian. I used to hear how at small Christian colleges they would have Bush on all the TV’s there and conspire against democrats saying there were going to hell for being pro-choice. (This isn’t a pro life or choice issue. I’m pro life. But I also don’t hold to one value of a party.) Now four years later as a Christian I am not getting blasted by other Christians for voting democrat. It’s actually cool. I don’t consider it cool, but that is what it has become. Just check out this website for Obama. I actually like this one. Then I came across this website. A bit much for my liking. When someone has a crush on a presidential candidate I know my time machine works because I am back in high school again. As dumb as I think that that website is it is gearing towards a certain generation that for the most part has not voted in the past. In the end if this junk is getting people to vote, okay. (Although I hope that the same person that buys that t-shirt also knows what the person and party stands for.)
Politics has gone fashion crazy. I can deal with that. But now television shows like Access Hollywood and Entertainment Tonight are jumping on the political craze. I really do not like the idea of this. I would really hate to see politics turn into a bunch of paparazzi and pointless stories of where Obama ate on Friday night. That’s not what politics is about and hope that part of the world does not destroy the other.
So I am part of the craze. I’ve been excited for this election the day after Kerry was defeated. I never knew the rest of the U.S. would be too four years later. In the end if Obama wins I hope he lives up to the hype that he has become and not like a high school class president who wants pop machines in the school cafeteria. Four years later and I am still not sure if people know about what candidates believe in. It is great to see so many people interested in politics and interested in voting.

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